Your steps to apply

Research Fellow (Autonomous Systems)
National Defense University · Fort McNair, District of Columbia · Closes in 17 days

1 Check you can apply
2 Resume and documents
3 Apply on USAJOBS
4 After you apply

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1 Check you can apply You are here

Who can apply: The public.

Only U.S. citizens may apply, according to the agency's clarification. The job is open to the public.

Experience: A record of high-quality, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or policy reports on unmanned and autonomous systems. Also experience presenting research findings to Department of War senior leaders, other federal audiences, or industry executives. No grade level is stated.

Education: A doctorate or all-but-dissertation (ABD, meaning coursework is finished but the dissertation is not) from a regionally accredited university in a field such as public policy, political science, engineering, or computer science. Or a master's degree in those fields plus at least five years of relevant professional experience focused on unmanned and autonomous systems. Foreign degrees can count if an equivalency evaluation shows they are equal to U.S. degrees.

Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.

2 Resume and documents

Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.

Resume ready: dates, hours per week, duties Resume of two pages maximum showing how your work meets the experience requirements Completed online Eligibility Questionnaire with narrative answers to the assessment questions SF-50 if you are or were a federal employee, showing your highest permanent grade held for 52 weeks DD-214 if you claim veterans' preference Official transcripts only if selected for an interview Foreign education equivalency evaluation letter if asked

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes in 17 days (November 20, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).

You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.

How they rate you: A screening panel reviews your resume and narrative answers to rate your qualifications. Eligible applicants then go to a board that decides who gets an interview. An incomplete package can result in an ineligible rating.

Apply on USAJOBS ↗

4 After you apply

In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.

For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.

If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, a security clearance (Sensitive Compartmented Information), then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Your two-page resume must clearly show your peer-reviewed publications and presentations to senior leaders, since the screening panel reviews it closely.
If you are or were a federal employee, submit your SF-50 by the closing date or you may be disqualified.
Transcripts are not needed at application, but they will be requested if you are selected for an interview.

Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.